Cover not available

In:From West to North Frisia: A Journey along the North Sea Coast
Edited by Alastair Walker, Eric Hoekstra, Goffe Jensma, Wendy Vanselow, Willem Visser and Christoph Winter
[NOWELE Supplement Series 33] 2022
► pp. 432–445

Get fulltext
PDF logo with download linkDownload Chapter PDF

Instances of direct speech, authentic and imaginary, in Old Frisian

 | Fryske Akademy
Open Access logo
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Published online: 10 March 2022
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/nss.33.24vri
Abstract
This paper offers a descriptive account of direct speech in texts written in Old Frisian (extending till 1550). A distinction is made between two types of this stylistic device: imaginary, as found in narrative texts, and authentic, which regards recordings of sentences spoken in a conversation or an allocution. Fixed formulaic phrases in legal texts, though having the appearance of direct speech, were obviously excluded from this investigation.
The number of instances found is small, while true dialogues are even entirely lacking. The percentage of direct speech quotes in narrative texts – scarce as they are – turns out to be about the same as in some Old English narrative poems. About twenty specimens of authentic direct speech could be gathered from witness depositions and witness testimonies. Although they are perhaps somewhat less lively than might be expected, they still convey an impression of the spoken form of the late Old Frisian vernacular.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Instances of imaginary direct speech
  • 3.Attestations of authentic direct speech
    • 3.1Data from the charter
    • 3.2Data from administrative documents
      • 3.2.1Witness depositions
      • 3.2.2Witness testimonies
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (20)
References
2014. The Orality of Old Frisian Law Texts. In R. H. Bremmer Jr, S. Laker and O. Vries (eds.), Directions for Old Frisian Philology. Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik 73 – Estrikken 96, 1–45. Amsterdam – New York: Rodopi. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Buma, W. J. and W. Ebel (eds.). 1963. Das Rüstringer Recht. Altfriesische Rechtsquellen 1. Göttingen: Musterschmidt.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(eds.). 1977. Westerlauwerssches Recht I. Jus Municipale Frisonum. Altfriesische Rechtsquellen 6. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Campbell, A. (ed.). 1952. Thet Freske Riim, Tractatus Alvini. The Hague: Nijhoff. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fockema Andreae, S. J. (ed.). 1910. Inleidinge tot de Hollandsche rechts-geleerdheid, beschreven bij Hugo de Groot, met aanteekeningen van Mr. S. J. Fockema Andreae, vol. II. Arnhem: publisher not identified.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Friese brieven 1967. Friese brieven uit de vijftiende en zestiende eeuw, uitgegeven door studiegroepen aan de Rijksuniversiteiten te Groningen en Utrecht onder leiding van dr. P. Gerbenzon. Estrikken 42. Groningen: Frysk Ynstitút.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fryske stikken 1963. Fryske stikken út Codex Furmerius. In rige foarstúdzjes fan Grinzer en Uterter frizisten, vol. 2. Estrikken 34. Groningen: Frysk Ynstitút.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Introini, A. 2018. A commented translation of “Thet Freske Riim”: the myth of Frisian liberty between theory and practice. Graduation thesis, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Venice [URL]
Louviot, E. 2016. Direct speech in Beowulf and other Old English narrative poems. Cambridge: Boydell.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
OFO I–V = P. Sipma (ed.). 1927–1941. Oudfriesche Oorkonden, vols. 1–3. Oudfriesche Taal– en Rechtsbronnen 1–3; O. Vries (ed.). 1977. Oudfriese Oorkonden, vol. 4. Oudfriese Taal- en Rechtsbronnen 14. The Hague: Nijhoff; O. Vries (ed.). 2016. Oudfriese Oorkonden, vol. 5. Estrikken/Ålstråke 100. Gorredijk – Leeuwarden: Bornmeer – Fryske Akademy.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ramge, H. 1999. ‘Dialoge im Rechtsprotokoll. Ein Wetzlarer Erbstreit a. 1309 und die Entstehung einer neuen Textsorte’. In A. H. Jucker, G. Fritz and F. Lebsanft (eds.), Historical Dialogue Analysis, 371–398. Amsterdam – Philadelphia: Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Roemeling, O. D. J. 2013. Heiligen en Heren. Studies over het parochiewezen in het Noorden van Nederland vóór 1600. Leeuwarden: Fryske Akademy. Appendix available through [URL]
SnR = M. Oosterhout (ed.). 1960. Snitser Recesboeken 1490–1517. Assen: Van Gorcum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sytsema, J. (ed.). 2012. A Diplomatic Edition of Codex Unia. Leeuwarden: Fryske Akademy [URL].
Van der Kuip, F. J. 2003. De Burmania-sprekwurden. Santjinde-ieuske Fryske sprekwurden ferklearre en yn har tiid besjoen. Leeuwarden/Ljouwert: Fryske Akademy.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Vries, O. 2012. In een werheyde dissis meckbrewis. Altfriesische Eheverträge, insbesondere ihre Terminologie. In O. Vries, De taal van recht en vrijheid. Studies over middeleeuws Friesland, 346–370. Gorredijk: Bornmeer.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wassenbergh, E. 1806. Taalkundige bijdragen tot den Frieschen tongval, 2 parts. Franeker: D. Romar.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
WNT = M. de Vries and L. A. te Winkel e.a. 1882–1998. Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, vol. 1–29. The Hague: Nijhoff.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue